Mindless
by Narakus Ji-chan
Summary: Ritsuka's only got Soubi and Zero left great companions, eh? and he's starting to get fed up with them. Things get even worse when someone returns. Then Ritsuka swears he's losing his mind.
1. Friendless

LoveMe

-LOVELESS-

MyBeloved

The paragraphs aren't all that long in this chapter, but I'm hoping it's longer than some of my other stuff. Probably not this chapter alone, I think it might be relatively short, but the story in general. I want it to be something. Oh, and don't mind the stuff above. I got bored and… It seemed like a fun thing to do at the time. It _was _fun. Whether I should've done it or not… Eh. I really don't care.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that pertains to this except… Well, the events in it, the idea that created it, blah blah blah. I don't, however, own the original plotline ideas. You know what I mean.

1

1A young boy, who had just hit that mid-teenpoint (thatnot a boy, not quite a man stage), walked down the hallway sulkilyHis violet eyes shonealmost black, that was how depressed he was. His black ears were almost flat against his head, both in annoyance and in hopelessness. He didn't walk with anyone; he generally tried to scare a good portion of people away. Normally, a hyperactive girl and often flushed, boy would accompany him. However, Yuiko and Yayoi had gone to a different school and moved on. It wasn't that they had left him behind, it was just that he had gotten accepted into a higher level school and no one would let him settle for less, even if that meant he would have to go through his life without anyone there beside him. So now, Ritsuka was alone and friendless.

Ritsuka was actually a lot of things that ended in ""-less"". He was friendless, brother-less, fun-less, and, as he had been called many times before, Loveless. Ritsuka didn't like being all these things, he just _was_. He was going through that stage in life where he thought, "You know what? I'm just going to try and stay depressed, because every time I'm not, something really bad happens to make me that way." It was the new trend for all of those super depressed teenagers. Unlike them, though, he had the self-control to keep all razors and blades away from his arms. He wasn't suicidal or anything, simply... Upset that he was left by himself.

He avoided the other students and only spoke when spoken to. In the two years he had gone to the new high school, he still hadn't made a single friend. He didn't desire to either. There were only two remaining people in his life from his younger years, and they were sure to leave soon, too, the way his life was going. It wasn't that his lifewas completely horrible; it was just moderately horrible, though he couldn't deny that it was certainly on its way down the drain.

Right after his brother, Seimei, had died, his mother had decided that she would go crazy on him. "Hey, you're my last son, why don't I just beat you 'til you drop, too? Oh, and… YOU AREN'T MY RITSUKA!" ––WHACK WHACK WHACK- That was the summary of his everyday life. It wasn't _his _fault he couldn't remember exactly what he had been like before Seimei's death. Plus, kids changed with years; didn't she figure that out with Seimei? Obviously not, because he still came to school with a fresh bandage on his cheek (and many underneath his clothes). Plenty of teachers had tried to do something about these frequent beatings, but seeing as he wouldn't give them a good enough argument (mostly because he'd rather keep the last family member he had) they could do nothing about it. Shinonome-san had tried to do something, but only got as far as helping the cuts he received heal faster. His mom was probably going to get him next for having lower grades than that of "her Ritsuka."

Thankfully he wasn't heading back home at the moment. Instead, he was walking towards a blue Honda Civic. The driver, Soubi, was missing his ears. He had been for a few years actually. Soubi was a full blown adult, physically, mentally, and age wise. Ritsuka's ears twitched in annoyance as he saw the two passengers in the back seat. Their ears were gone as well, although they were just about a year older than Ritsuka himself, if that; Natsuo and Youji. Also known as - in the fighter/sacrifice world - Zero. So he lied, there were four people who had stuck around. Natsuo and Youji didn't count, though. He didn't like them as much as everyone else. They were cruel and constantly pulling sick jokes. Unlike Soubi and his mother, who he cared for a great deal.

The passenger side door was opened for him and he climbed in to sit next toSoubi. "Soubi…"he said.

"I'm sorry, Ritsuka-kun," Soubi smiled weakly at him. "They begged me to tag along."

"What's wrong with us, Ritsuka?" said Youji, moving strands of light blue, almost green, hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, Ritsuka-_kun_, what's wrong with us?" Natsuo leaned around the side of his chair, rubbing his cheek against Ritsuka's; he found it annoying that he emphasized the 'kun'.

Ritsuka, uncomfortable with the close contact,pressed up agains**t** the window. Unfortunately for him, Natsuo wasn't about to give up, and followed him there, wrapping his arms aroundRitsuka's front. These boys were all about contact. Ritsukawasn't. He could see Soubi staring at them in the mirror, not wanting to make himself look suspicious. Besides, by now he had started driving and wasn't in the mood for crashing. Youji took up Natsuo's former position against his cheek. He was pinned where he was and being forced to speak. He didn't like talking to them - they tended to make fun of whatever he said - but in times like these, he had to.

"There's nothing wrong with you." He was lying, of course. He didn't want them here. This was him and Soubi time, not Soubi, him, Natsuo, and Youji time. That had been yesterday.

"Loveless, you're a horrible liar!" Natsuo smiled and his grip tightened, threatening to rob Ritsuka of all his air.

"Boys, sit back and leave Ritsuka alone."

Soubi wasn't looking at them, but he didn't have to be for the boys to know he was serious. The tone of his voice and the look on his face were enough.

Zero sat back and began to whisper and chuckle together. _Chuckle heads belong in the circus, not in this car_, Ritsuka thought, then pouted. Soubi promised they would do something alone, with no interruptions. It had been a while since the Seven Moons had last attacked and well… They weren't really anticipating one anyways. Whoot, woo hoo, and good for them.

All of a sudden they came to a screeching halt, causing all of their necks to snap forward (Whiplash anyone?). Youji was flung into the back of Soubi's seat and Natsuo fell onto the console between the chairs. Both Soubi and Ritsuka gave him a "that's why you wear seatbelts" look before turning back to the road to see the cause of their sudden stop.

There had been a multiple car accident and, as they soon realized, they were a part of it. Youji went to get out, but Soubi stopped him. Lucky he did, because in the next moment, another car was in the accident. People seemed to be going too fast and not really caring that there was something going on until it was too late. Three more cars hit theirs before they stopped feeling the major affects of everything. After that it was just tremors from other cars colliding. Ritsuka felt something warm running down his cheek and he realized it was probably blood. His head _had _collided with the door at one point in time.

Soubi seemed to be suffering from an injured arm, but wasotherwise okay. Not that he would pay much attention to it anyways. Natsuo and Youji were holding onto one another in the back seat, trying to pretend that they couldn't see the trunk right against the back window. It wasn't that they were truly scared, it was just that they didn't like the idea of getting injured.

Already, Soubi had a cigarette out to calm his nerves. Both he and Ritsuka were injured. This was a great time for someone to attack. They might actually take Ritsuka away from him!Luckily Soubi's prayers were answered and they weren't murderlized. What he wanted to know, though, was what exactly was causing all of this. Humans, as he knew, weren't quite _this _stupid. They would normally slow down once they saw a stopped car. Even he had noticed and attempted to stop. For some reason, however, his foot hadn't quite made contact with the pedal.

When he glanced at Ritsuka, he couldn't see the blood running down Ritsuka's right cheek. Despite that, he was well aware that his breath was beginning to get heavier. Natsuo and Youji had replaced their playful attitudes with that of concentration, like when they met the female Zero. That time had ended in tragedy, but now… Now they were faced with something different. Hopefully nothing fatal would happen.

"Soubi…" Ritsuka felt himself becoming dizzy and light-headed.

"Yes, Ritsuka?" Soubi saw what was causing Ritsuka's dizziness as the boy turned to face him.

"Do you think…?"

"No."

It didn't seem like something the Seven Moons would do. It seemed more like…

"Seimei…" Youji's tone was that of awe, as it should have been. But no, it didn't seem like something Seimei would do either. Youji just happened to… Spot him.

The car was silent, everything around them was silent. Soubi's attention was no longer on Ritsuka (were it he would have noticed his eyes beginning to close). Indeed it _was _Seimei walking towards them. In moments he had Ritsuka's door opened and was pulling him out. The only protest that was made was a slight groan from the boy. Soubi was perfectly fine with this course of action. Besides, it was his master, not much he could do about it anyways.

"He won't last much longer in there, wouldn't you agree, Soubi?" He had a smug smile on his face. "You aren't watching him very carefully now, are you?"

"I'm sorry, Master." Soubi hung his head in shame as Zero gasped. They'd never heard Soubi refer to anyone like that, not even Ritsuka. Then again, this was Beloved they were talking about, Soubi's _real _sacrifice, not Loveless.

That seemed to snap Ritsuka out of his daze momentarily. "Seimei… Did you…"

"Shh… Of course I didn't. I wouldn't think of hurting you. Whoever did, though, is going to pay for causing you pain, little brother."

This gave Ritsuka a reason to relax and he once again closed his eyes. He knew he couldn't fall asleep. There was a possibility that he had a concussion, and, well, if he had one of those he couldn't exactly fall asleep. He might fall into a coma if he did. So he kept himself awake by concentrating on the sounds around him. People were crying over their loved ones, others were yelling at nothing, and some were just calmly trying to get out of people exactly what was going on. He could hear birds chirping in the distance and hoped that the sweet sound of them didn't make him fall asleep. Seimei's heartbeat was doing a better job of that.

"Seimei how are you…?" Soubi wanted to know, but Seimei walked away from him, yawning. A look passed between them and Soubi's face lit up in realization.

"I think that I should save the explanations for later, don't you? That way I don't have to repeat myself. I'm afraid dear Ritsuka needs a doctor at the moment, and he's falling asleep."

"More like unconscious." Youji didn't seem quite so convinced by this "Beloved" that had shown up out of no where. All he got in return to his smart remark, however, was a smile.

2

Ritsuka woke to a bunch of chatter and rushing people. He wasn't moving like he had been when he'd finally fallen unconscious. He was instead lying in a bed with really weird-smelling blankets covering him. The last thing he could remember was the sound of Seimei's heartbeat, but… That couldn't possibly be. He'd seen his brother's torched body and… It couldn't be possible. Not that he wanted his brother to be gone or anything, it just didn't seem right. Nothing was making sense. That might have been from the pain in his temple, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he remembered it to be. The blood was also gone from his face, even if it did feel a little stiff. It had probably been crusted up by the time someone had been able to clean it.

"Beloved can't be alive!" It was Youji; he didn't seem all that thrilled either.

"Youji, please… He _can_;it just doesn't seem _logical_." Natsuo tried to console his friend andlover. "I know this is all a little much, but… He got Loveless to the hospital in time. None of us were thinking enough to move him. If it weren't for Beloved then Loveless might be gone now."

"But what's going to happen to Loveless? Soubi isn't going to just disobey Beloved and stay with Loveless...?"

"I'd much prefer it if you'd at least call me by my name while talking about me behind my back." Ritsuka didn't want to hear Natsuo's answer to that question. It would most likely be an "I don't know" or "He'll probably go back to Beloved."

"Sorry, Ritsuka-kun," Natsuo purred and hugged Ritsuka lightly. "We'll make sure to remember that from now on."

They sat there in silence, an awkward one at that. Natsuo and Youji didn't dare continue their conversation, knowing that it had upset Ritsuka. And Ritsuka… He just wasn't in the mood for talking. His head was starting to throb from all the colors and so he shut them. The hospital was cozy, if not a boring color, but it smelled weird. Sure, something strange to be worried about, but the smell was starting to make his head hurt even more.

"Little brother, you're awake." Ritsuka opened his eyes again to see Seimei standing there. All of a sudden he felt mixed feelings for his older brother. He didn't know whether to love him for actually being alive, or hate him for coming when he was finally starting to open up to Soubi. "How're you feeling? Mom's waiting to come in to see you. I explained to her what happened already and I'll tell you soon. Just as soon as a certain pair leaves."

Natsuo and Youji stayed right where they were beside the bed. They weren't going to move for anyone, and that included Seimei. He may be Beloved and a lot stronger than them (he must be if Soubi could beat them with Ritsuka, who didn't share his name), but Youji wasn't about to leave Ritsuka alone. He would only do that if…

"Youji, Natsuo… Leave us." That happened. Now that Soubi had said it, they would _have _to go.

"Why can't we hear this explanation?" Youji and Natsuo would argue, but only for a little bit. Only long enough to make sure that Soubi knew theycared.

"It has nothing to do with you, that's why." Soubi cringed as Seimei's tone became harsh. What would Ritsuka think of him for that?

Zero stood up and headed for the door. So they lied about not moving. Youji shot Ritsuka a "tell us later" look before running out the door. Natsuo blew him a kiss (much to Ritsuka's dismay) before following his lover. The room became quiet again and Ritsuka could see his mother's shadow just outside the door. She seemed to be unsure of whether or not to actually turn the doorknob. After a few moments, however, she did, and entered the room.

At first Ritsuka didn't know what she was going to do. She seemed a little pissed at first that he was even there, and then she looked relieved. Probably because he was alive. Next thing he knew she was all over him, kissing him, hugging him, anything she could possibly do that was appropriate for family members.

"Mother, please… I've got a lot of explaining to do and Ritsuka doesn't need to be killed when he just barely escaped death a few hours ago." Ritsuka could tell that his mother would be leaving soon and he would get a different version of that explanation than she did. "Can you leave us alone for a bit? We've got a lot of catching up to do."

His mother nodded and left willingly, unlike the Zero boys. Soubi shut the door behind her and turned back to face Ritsuka and Seimei. They both looked so much alike, especially now that they were side by side. The only difference he could see at the moment was that Seimei had lost all of his childishness and Ritsuka hadn't. He was still as adorable as ever. Seimei, on the other hand, was handsome. All of a sudden a sound broke his thoughts as Seimei began to speak.

"I realize you're probably angry with me, Ritsuka. You were finally starting to open up to Soubi and I came back." Wow, he could read minds! "It's probably for the best though. In the end, one of you would have been killed during a battle. Your names are more different than any other name of a pair could possibly be: Beloved and Loveless. Which means we're different too, you and I. That doesn't mean that we can't love you though. Both of us do, very much. Even though it was originally just an order that I wanted him to follow, it's become much more. Sadly, nothing can become of that. For one, he's far too old for you, so I wouldn't allow it, and for another, the connection of an actual pair is stronger than that of ones with different names. I don't fully understand why you don't have a fighter, Ritsuka. Even at fifteen, yours still hasn't shown up, but I'm searching. That's what I've been doing all this time.

"I suppose I should just start from the beginning, shouldn't I? I don't want to come off as the evil brother who's trying to take your boyfriend away. Heheh……"

Ritsuka blushed like mad, "He's not _my _boyfriend!"

"Of course not, but let me continue." He was smiling, something Seimei hadn't done in front of Soubi often. Had he changed toward him? Would he be more like the sacrifice he was?

Ritsuka nodded and almost pleaded with Seimei to explain where he was and what had happened. Not out loud, but in his head. Remember, Ritsuka isn't that much of a vocalist. He prefers to contact people with his mi- just kidding. He'd rather let them know through his eyes. And seeing as not many people could _read_ eyes, he was screwed over. Only for a little while though, Seimei would fix his problem!

"Where was I? Right, I hadn't started yet. Well, my death was obviously faked and planned, by both Soubi and myself. I forbid him from telling you anything that might endanger you or my 'existence.' So naturally he couldn't tell you much about himself, the Seven Moons, or about the plan that we made. Obviously, the Seven Moons was after us. Apart we were nothing, so if I disposed of myself than they'd leave Soubi aloneand I'd be able to do what I needed to do in peace. You see, Beloved and Zero are different than all the other groups. Their names don't end in the traditional '-less', therefore it gives them power. They're the ruling groups and originate from the same place –– or person in this case –– but they normally fight. Luckily Soubi got them on his side; otherwise you'd probably be gone now."

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, letting Ritsuka stare at him like he was some pedophile (no offense, Soubi) that was about to molest him. He soon started up again, though, not wanting to give Ritsuka enough time to kill him. "So it took us a little while, but we came up with the perfect plan. I did have gasoline on me, and I did indeed set myself on fire, but Soubi cast one of his spells before I lit the match. Therefore, I was completely protected and what you saw in your chair at school –– I'm sorry about that by the way –– was a dummy made to look real, a mere illusion. I _was _present in the coffin during the open casket ceremony, but another spell was cast on me. Another illusion that made me cold to the touch and look charred, just as the dummy in your chair did. While in the funeral car, I slipped out of the casket and replaced my body with another dummy. After that I fled and left Soubi to take care of you.

"I heard he's done a decent job, keeping injuries to a minimum. It's only expected that you'd get a few. As I said before, different names cause you weakness. While you were going through that hell of a time during junior high, I was going through twice that, let me assure you. I'm going to take the time now to apologize to you, Soubi, for what I've done." He looked up at his fighter and smiled. "I'd rather you just call me Seimei now. I'll still give you orders, but… I'll respect our bond more than I did before. I went through a lot without you and I just had to deal with it. Now I'm sure… I'm really nothing without you."

Ritsuka didn't know if he wanted to gag or what. It seemed like Seimei was proposing to Soubi. Though he knew that all Seimei was doing was saying that he now wanted their fights to be more teamwork and love than force. Ritsuka knew that the only thing keeping Soubi and him going throughout their time together was how they felt about each other. Some day the same thing might happen to Seimei and Soubi. However, he wished that he was stillable to do that with someone.

"Another thing I've been researching is why the Seven Moons started targeting you, once I found out, that is." Ritsuka was snapped back to full attention as Seimei started speaking again. "Soubi and I sent messages back and forth, reports really, through reliable messengers. He told me your progress (and his) and I told him mine. Generally my letters were brief because I didn't get very far. Even now I haven't gathered much. I just know that the Seven Moons is planning _something_ and Loveless is the key. Maybe it's because you're by yourself. I never found out whether Loveless has a fighter or not, but I'm thinking… That maybe you could hook onto whichever pair you'd like. The bond still wouldn't be _as _strong as the normal bond would, but it would be powerful. That's my theory anyways.""

"That's the dumbest theory I've ever heard." Everyone's necks snapped towards the window (More whiplash, anyone?) There, outside, stood Natsuo and Youji. "Awesome plan before, faking your death, but that last bit just killed the genius of it all." Seimei rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair beside the hospital bed. "I should've known you weren't actually going to leave that easily. You might as well sit here while I finish up."

"You mean, you aren't done _yet_?" It was Natsuo's turn and he didn't look amused. "I think you should save it for home. Ritsuka needs his rest and he can't get that if you're blabbing in his ear!"

Seimei glanced at Ritsuka and nodded, noticing he was beginning to fall asleep. "Alright, I'll come to pick you up later, Ritsuka. They said they'd release you then. Love you."

He kissed him on the forehead and stood up again. Then Soubi spoke, but quietly so only Ritsuka could hear as everyone else exited, "I love you too, Loveless. Your name means nothing about _you_. It just represents mankind." He kissed him on the forehead and left him to rest. They were going to have a long few weeks ahead of them.

/End Chapter 1: Friendless

A/N: Yeah, so that wasn't all that long, but I'm proud of the ending. The beginning was a little rocky, but I hope you like it! I worked really hard on this idea and I'll update as soon as possible! Please review and tell me what you think!


	2. Restless

1Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. Wish I did, but I don't. This chapter's a little… Bizarre. Zero's awesome.

Yeah, I know… I say Seven Moons and fighter. I _just _bought the manga and the first DVD. They changed the subtitles on me and everything, so… I just found out that it's Septimal Moon and Sentouki. At least, I think that's how it's spelled. It's weird; I dunno why they did that. . 

I think this chapter is actually a tad bit longer than the other one. Go me! Possibly a little shorter. I just didn't know what to do quite yet, so I made a filler chapter… At first anyways. More towards the end it starts to actually mean something to the story. Kio was just whispering in my ear, "C'mon, make me smart. You know you wanna!" So I had to oblige. The poor guy… He just needed the self-esteem boost. (As he sits in the corner and glares at me for that comment…. . )

**Another note**: I suck at grammar, don't kill me. Most of this is edited by another member on here, and you might not know the difference anyways, so… yeah. Just thought you oughtta know. Might take me a while to update the third chapter. I promised someone a Cloud/Seph/Zack fanfic, so yeah. :( I'm sorry.

I only got one review the last chapter. Made me so sad. Lots of people viewed it, but hardly any reviewed. I'm hoping to get a few more this time around, even if there's only two more than before. Just… Yeah. Review if you can. If you can't, I understand.

1

The next few days were confusing for Ritsuka, even more so than entering high school. Sure, having his older brother back was awesome, and he didn't have to deal with Natsuo and Youji, but he was kind oflonely. Soubi came to their house - they never went to his apartment anymore. Something about something might happen, Ritsuka had an idea of whatAnd seeing as Natsuo and Youji seemed to have this huge fear of his house, he didn't have to see them. Unless, of course, they decided to bug him at school. He was starting to miss them more and more, though. He was the only teenager in the house and even though that had never bothered him before, things were different now. Seimei was back and everyone had his or her eyes on him. The only reason he minded that was because that left no time for them to spend together.

Most of his time now was spent staring out a window or at his ceiling; sleep was just something he thought about now a days, amongst a lot of other things, of course. Like, how come Seven Moons hadn't attacked? And what exactly _had _caused that accident? Whenever he brought it up, Seimei would change the subject like he hadn't even said a word.

He found himself being ignored all around like that. His mother was using all her energy on Seimei. Buying him new clothes, trying to get him a job, and making all his favorite foods. Most of the time he wouldn't eat with everyone because it was all things "her Ritsuka" didn't eat. He was going to get fat if he kept making himself food. And Soubi… Soubi was all over Seimei, hugging him, kissing him, everything. Ritsuka was starting to miss the attention he had gotten from the older man. He didn't blame Seimei, no, it wasn't his fault. Instead, he blamed Soubi and everyone for treating him they way they did. It was because of all of the ignoring that he was standing outside Soubi's apartment, waiting for Zero to open the door.

"Ritsuka!" Natsuo glomped him and pulled him inside. "Did you come to see Soubi? He's not here. I thought he was going to your house.

Ritsuka smiled, "He is at my house. I didn't come here to see him."

Natsuo's eyes lit up. "You came to see us?" As he said this, Youji appeared behind him.

A nod.

He was pulled even further inside and then mauled. Obviously Natsuo and Youji had missed him more than he had started to miss them. Not that it was all that surprising, they had always wanted to see him more than he wanted to see them. Youji was hugging him, saying that he was glad to see him and such. When things finally calmed down from all the hugging, squeezing, and falling, they were a tangled mess of limbs. Natsuo's arms were looped around Ritsuka's neck, but his legs were intertwined with Youji's. Youji's hands were caressing Ritsuka's ears and his legs, on top of being tangled with Natsuo's, were pinning Ritsuka's lower half to the floor. If someone had walked in, they probably would have thought that Natsuo and Youji were going to take Ritsuka's ears. Sure, they had entertained the thought plenty of times (and were doing so now), but they wouldn't actually _do it _without Ritsuka's consent. That didn't mean they wouldn't try to get a yes out of him.

"Ritsuka-kuuun…" Youji twisted a strand of Ritsuka's hair around his finger.

"Hm?" Natsuo smiled. Short and sweet. That was just like Ritsuka.

"Don't you think you've had these long enough?" He was rubbing Ritsuka's ears lightly, just enough to make him close his eyes and sigh in contentment.

"Yeah, Ritsuka. You've had them too long. Ours have been gone for two years now." Natsuo was stroking his tail. They could squeeze a yes out of him yet.

"No," he groaned. "I like them, thank you very much."

"C'mon Ritsuka-kun, you need to loosen up." Youji was now whispering in his ear and running his hands up his shirt.

He had been there five minutes, maybe ten, and they were already causing problems. It wasn't on his list to lose his ears to Zero. Plus, he could list quite a few people who wouldn't be happy with him if he did. The thought made him attempt to pull away. However, two things stopped him from doing so. The first was Youji, who was still on his legs. Second, and probably the most influential, was Natsuo. He pulled him down onto the ground by tugging with his arms, which were still wrapped about Ritsuka's neck.

"Where are you going, Ritsuka-kun?" Natsuo chuckled.

2

Soubi and Seimei sat in Seimei's room. A thick silence had fallen between them. They had been talking about Ritsuka when they all of a sudden got back to the subject of Seven Moons. It wasn't a subject either one of them wanted to discuss, but they knew they had to eventually. It wasn't good of them to deny Ritsuka what he wanted to know. They'd done that for far too long now and Ritsuka was obviously starting to hate them for it.

"Seimei… Can you even answer Ritsuka's questions?" Soubi looked at his sacrifice with sad eyes. They'd been neglecting Ritsuka all week, but they were just realizing it now.

"I… I don't know." He stared at the floor, threatening to put a hole right through it. "I'm afraid it might break him."

"Would it do more damage than not telling him at all?"

"That's what I'm trying to decide. He's getting fed up with us, Soubi. He didn't even tell us where he was going today."

Soubi nodded. He knew what they were doing to him. It was more his fault than Seimei's, though. As a matter of fact, Ritsuka probably didn't blame Seimei at all. How much had Soubi affected Ritsuka, though? Leaving without saying where he was going, locking his door and the door to the deck outside his window; it wasn't like Ritsuka. There was no getting access to him. He had to be losing weight. He wasn't eating a thing anymore, even if they went out to get him something. He was always reluctant. Soubi knew why Ritsuka did it, but Seimei didn't. He didn't know about the beatings. Soubi had made sure to leave that out of their weekly meetings. He wanted to give the impression that their mother had finally stopped.

"Soubi… You don't think he'd hurt himself, do you? Or run away…?" When Soubi looked at him, he had the saddest look on his face. "Does he hate me already?"

Seimei cared about his brother, it was obvious by the way he was acting now. Soubi was sure that was something Seimei had always had. His love for Ritsuka. However, everyone else saw him a different way. He was a sneak, brutal, and unforgiving. He never had Soubi stop fighting before finishing off a team. Ritsuka never knew that side of Seimei, didn't want to know it even when people told him that. All the time he denied Seimei being a bad person, but people just laughed at him. His Seimei _wasn't _a bad person. However, Soubi's Seimei had been. Somewhere along his journey, though, Soubi's Seimei had died and Ritsuka's had taken over once again. When Soubi first saw him, he noticed certain features about him that had softened from before. He wouldn't have been recognizable if it hadn't been for his eyes, as sharp as ever. Both Seimeis had the same look in their eyes.

"No to every one of those questions. Ritsuka isn't that type of boy. I don't think he's mad at you at all." _If anything… It's me he's angry with, _he thought.

Seimei smiled and hugged him. Soubi stiffened for a moment, still not used to the affection he got from his Sacrifice. It had only been a few days, after all. He wondered if Seimei would stay like this forever, and hoped so. He could get used to the attention, affection, and all around love coming from the guy. Ritsuka survived off of it, even with an abusive mother, he could probably live forever with it (not really, but he'd like to think so).

"We still need to discuss the accident, Seimei." It wasn't something that he wanted to leave untouched, but… It couldn't be left alone. They had to formulate something to discuss with Ritsuka.

"I know, I know. I just… I really don't know what happened, that's why I avoid the subject. Whenever Ritsuka asks, I freeze up. I just… Don't know what to say, so I change the topic." He let go of Soubi to look into his eyes. "I think that _they _did it, but… I'm not sure. I have no proof."

"Why? People could've gotten killed. They normally do things in the shadows."

"Do you really think that they care?"

"No… But still. Why would they cause such a commotion? Just to show how much damage they can make?"

"They wanted you out of the way so that they could get to Ritsuka. I told you before… Loveless is the key to something. Ritsuka is Loveless – I thought you knew that, Soubi. Just kidding! Anyways… They want whatever it is that Ritsuka can unlock."

Soubi was silent. He hadn't even cracked a smile at Seimei's attempted joke (it really had been a joke, but… Soubi just wasn't in the mood for it). Ritsuka was alone and vulnerable at the moment, that's what his mind was focused on. What if someone kidnapped him? Should he try to call him? From now on he'd stay at Ritsuka's side. He had been paying too much attention to Seimei and not enough to Ritsuka. Well, from now on he was going to take both of them everywhere he went. Including his art classes, if he had to.

"Soubi… Soubi, your phone is ringing," Seimei broke his ever-depressing thoughts.

_Maybe it's Ritsuka, _he thought, and hurriedly picked up his phone, "Hello?"

"Soubi!" Soubi's heart sank as he heard, not Ritsuka's, but Kio's voice. "How could you do this? They're only kids! You were just waiting for them to get undressed so you could watch. You pervert. I knew you were bad, but this is just… Ugh. It's sickening! Where are you? Are you outside, in the other room, under the -?"

"Kio, I'm at Ritsuka's house…" What was he going on about? Who was he waiting to see naked?

"What…? Then you don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"Nothing. Just get to your house, and fast."

3

Before Kio had made that phone call, he had been walking down the street. Now, that's not all that exciting, sure, but he was about to walk in on the "exciting" part. The reason he was walking down the street was because he had to go talk to Soubi about their art courses. It was an innocent enough thing to want to discuss and all. He didn't expect to walk in on Zero and Ritsuka in the position they were in. That was far from innocent.

He opened the front door to find Natsuo pinning Ritsuka to the floor and Youji kissing him. They were still working on getting that "yes" out of him. Their shirts were discarded, but Ritsuka was lucky enough to keep his. Heh, not that he was all that lucky in any other department. Kio wasn't sure at first, but he thought that he was being frenched. Poor, poor Ritsuka. He was shocked to say the least - Kio, that is. He would have let them be if he hadn't been so convinced that Soubi was watching every minute of it. The guy was a pedophile as it was. What better way to show that than watch kids go at it?

By then, Natsuo and Youji had stopped what they were doing and looked up to see who the intruder was. They weren't exactly thrilled that their fun had been ruined. It was then that Kio took out his cell phone and called Soubi.

4

Soubi stood in the doorway, one eyebrow raised at the sight before him. Natsuo and Youji were still shirtless, and Ritsuka was just messed up all over. He didn't want to know if they had gotten any farther than they were now; it _had_ taken him ten minutes to get there and all. Kids could do a lot of things in ten minutes these days. It was obvious they hadn't gotten _too _far, seeing as Ritsuka still had his ears on his head. Seimei was behind him (needless to say, Kio was shocked about this almost as much as Seimei was about the shape his brother was in), mouth agape and eyes wide. He was confused as Hell. Why was Ritsuka's hair all messed up? Why were his clothes all askew? The Ritsuka he knew wasn't like that.

"What happed?" Soubi stood with his arms crossed, not looking so amused. Not that anyone did, but Natsuo and Youji.

Kio explained his side of the story and then Zero told theirs. They didn't lie. Actually, they were quite blunt about everything that they said. So blunt that Seimei wanted to kill them. They weren't his favorite people in the world at this point in time (hadn't been while Ritsuka was in the hospital either). Soubi's expression never changed throughout the entire confession. Only when they finally shut up did he soften his gaze. Ritsuka was sure that someone was going to yell at him for something or other. However, most of the scolding was towards Zero. The rest, Soubi was mentally giving himself.

"Why did you come here, Ritsuka?" Finally, someone spoke to him. He thought he was being alienated or something.

"I was bored," he was staring at the ground. "Is that such a crime? I mean, it happens to everyone, right?"

"……."

Sure, it was a Ritsuka-like thing to snap every once in a while, but never before had he done so with such venom and malice in his voice. Soubi didn't know how to react. The only one that could truly see through all of Ritsuka's actions was Seimei. He could see just how hurt Ritsuka was. It was showing through every single part of his face. They _were _brothers, after all. He and Soubi had been spending too much time together. It was about time that they included Ritsuka on all the action.

"How about we go to the carnival?" he proposed. "We all need to relax and be together. All of us."

Kio stood off to the side the whole time, not really listening to any of it. He was still sure that Soubi had done _some _snooping. Obviously he was wrong, though, from the angry expression shown on his face. He was so protective of Ritsuka even though Seimei was back. It was as if he and Seimei were Ritsuka's parents and not his real ones. Though, that wouldn't surprise him seeing as he'd heard pretty bad things about them. Well, his mother anyways. Heh, Seimei and Ritsuka looked adorable together and Seimei seemed almost human. Almost. There was still some quality about him that no one else seemed to be noticing. Something that was bugging the living Hell outta him. What if… This wasn't Seimei at all? Ha! What was he talking about? He liked this Seimei a lot more than he liked the old Seimei. But still, something wasn't right. His eyes still seemed to have that insane glint to them. That one that said Seimei owned the world and knew more than he was letting on.

Then, Kio heard Seimei talking about going to the carnival and it being 'everyone'. He highly doubted that Seimei actually _meant _everybody. He would be excluded from this. The only way he ever got in on these things was if he snuck in. He was sick of stalking people just to have a little bit of fun, okay? He just wanted to be able to hang out with someone without having to stalk them for some reason or another. To say the least, he was a little shocked when Seimei invited him along as well.

5

As they entered the carnival scene, Ritsuka found himself having more and more trouble finding something to make him happy. He was too busy thinking about so many different things that he couldn't seem to find the time to enjoy his surroundings. He spent most of his time being pulled around by Seimei and Soubi, just letting them take him on whatever ride they wanted. However, he finally snuck away with Kio, actually _wanting _to be away from his brother. Kio didn't seem too comfortable with his brother's presence either, but Ritsuka knew why. He hated Seimei for what he'd done to Soubi, the person he'd made Soubi into. Ritsuka understood now, somewhat anyways. Seimei had expressed a sort of cold, cunning manner towards some random person off the street. It was apparent he only showed compassion to those he truly loved.

Kio offered to buy him cotton candy, but he declined. Instead, the two of them went to get an actual meal. It was more expensive, sure, but it was better than plain ol' cotton candy. It was American food, not half as good as actual Japanese food, but also better than just cotton candy. Ritsuka and Kio sat down at a table far from the others. They were going to have a little chat.

"So, why'd you run away with me? I thought we were all going to stick together," Kio said, smiling at Ritsuka before taking a bite out of the hot dog he had bought. It wasn't all that good, but he ate it anyways.

"Something wasn't right," he mumbled before picking at his French fries. He didn't know why he'd gotten a hamburger. They were too juicy and full of fat for his liking.

"Oh? How's that?"

"Seimei… He was smiling weird. It wasn't _Seimei's _smile."

"You noticed that too, huh? I guess we're just gunna have to wait and see, aren't we?"

"Yeah. Do you think Soubi…?"

"Not a chance. He's probably just glad to get the attention he's getting. I don't doubt that Seimei's like that or anything, but… I don't think that's Seimei. Be careful around him and watch what he does. You should know better than anybody how he should act. Make a list or something, of things that he does wrong. Things that you don't think would change about him. Then get with Soubi and discuss it. He needs to know too, otherwise we're all in trouble. The second Soubi is down, we're out for the count."

Ritsuka nodded and continued to eat his fries. Natsuo and Youji managed to find them, and ran over to chat. Ritsuka wondered if they noticed anything wrong with Seimei, but he doubted it. No one really knew him like Ritsuka did. Not enough to determine exactly _what _was wrong. It was that smile. The looks he'd get from Seimei. They weren't loving stares, they were the glance of some crazed man. Seimei wasn't crazy, last Ritsuka checked. So, if it wasn't Seimei, then where was the real Seimei? And why was this one giving away so much? Probably just to get in good with them. What if he was wrong, though, and that _was _Seimei?

"Ritsuka-kun! We're talking to you!" Natsuo was getting all red from being ignored.

"Sorry… I was thinking." He looked over to them, figuring he'd amuse them for a while. So long as it didn't involve him getting kissed again.

"So, Ritsuka-kun, what ride are you going on next?" Natsuo sat down beside him, getting too close all over again.

Ritsuka scooted over, away from him. He didn't think they realized he hadn't been _on _a ride this whole time. "I dunno… The Ferris wheel, maybe?"

And that's how he found himself riding the Ferris wheel with Kio beside him and Natsuo and Youji across from them. They said it was good luck to kiss once you got to the top. Where they'd gotten that from, he didn't know. They probably meant it was just a romantic thing to do, so he didn't stop them when they commenced in doing so. Kio groaned and turned away while he just stared out the same spot that he had been the whole time. That's when he saw Soubi and Seimei (possibly not Seimei, but that was a confusing thought). They were diagonally below them and had their hands intertwined. Ritsuka wanted to yell for them to separate, but… He didn't like being such a vocalist. Plus, he wasn't sure if he was just having a hunch or if what he was feeling was true or not. God, he didn't like feeling so confused. Then Soubi caught sight of him and waved. He waved back before turning to watch Natsuo and Youji. They were an easier pair to stomach right now.

Soubi and Seimei met them at the bottom, both of them putting an arm around his shoulder and leading him off. He looked back at Kio, a pleading look in his eyes, but knew there was nothing the adult could do. He had no problem being embraced by Soubi. It was this potentially fake Seimei that bothered him. However, there was no getting out of it as they brought him onto a different ride. One that would last a while… The swan boats (he hated the swan boats) (A/N: I can see Ritsuka not like these… He's more of a sky kinda kid, not water.)

"So, Ritsuka, what'd you and Kio do?" Seimei still had his arm around his shoulder, where as Soubi had long ago released him. He knew what Ritsuka's limits were when it came to contact with other people.

"…We went and got something to eat. Talked a bit. That's all." He swore that Seimei knew they had been talking about him. He just had that look in his eye.

"What'd you talk about? Seems like you don't really talk to each other much…"

Soubi cut in, "Seimei, you're avoiding the topic. We brought him here to talk away from Zero and Kio. Why don't you get to the point?"

_Because, Soubi, he's not Seimei. We're being fooled! I just know it. _He stopped thinking as soon as Seimei looked at him. It was weird, like he was reading his mind. That scared him and he looked at the bottom of the boat. Seimei was going to feed him something else, he just knew it. This was just going to be great. All fun and joy for Ritsuka.

"Well, Ritsuka… We came to talk to you about what happened the other day. Y'know, the accident?" He nodded and Seimei continued. "Well, you were in the hospital a few hours, that's obvious. Soubi and I didn't discuss anything while you were in there, we just waited for you to wake up. And even when we left, we still didn't discuss it. It wasn't until a little while ago that we did. It was today, actually. The subject's kinda touchy, y'know?"

That was another thing besides the look to put on his list. Seimei didn't use the word "y'know" more than once in a speech. "I get it… So, are you going to tell me what you talked about?"

"You betcha." 'Nother thing, Seimei didn't talk like that. Was this guy getting sloppy or what? Even Soubi giving him a scrutinizing look. "Well, it was obviously Seven Moons. And, like I said before, they're after you. I didn't wanna bring the topic up because I don't know specifics. That's all I've really got so far. Just, Soubi and I decided it was best you not leave our sight."

Great… He bet this guy would just _love _to have his eyes on him twenty-four/seven. It would be so much easier for him to _take _him to the Seven Moons headquarters. Not that he'd mind, Seimei might be there. The real Seimei. Not this fake one that seemed to be messing up so much now. Maybe he was getting antsy and wanted to get his job over with? Whatever it was, Ritsuka didn't think that he'd survive another day. If something was going to happen, it was going to happen soon.

"Well… I guess we'll just have to wait and see what they do, right?" He smiled at the fake Seimei before him and squeezed Soubi's arm a little. Their private signal for trouble. They'd talk alone later.

6

Later seemed to never come. Soubi didn't appear inside of his bedroom until well after midnight. Luckily Ritsuka was in such a restless mood, otherwise he would've fallen asleep long ago. However, right at the moment he was panicked and couldn't sleep. Did wonders on his eyes. Soubi gave him a worried look and sat down beside him.

"I was going to wake you… I didn't realize you'd already be awake," He draped an arm around his waist and rested his head on top of Ritsuka's.

"That's fine. I haven't slept well in a while. I'm used to it by now." He sighed. "Listen… There's something wrong with Seimei. I don't –"

"I know. I've known for a while now. Well, today that is. It started during our earlier conversation. The real Seimei knows you would never hate him, hurt yourself, or leave. He told me that once. Told me you weren't that kind of boy. Today… 'he' asked me if I thought you would. I had to reassure him that you wouldn't, but that was his first mistake. There were numerous others that I just overlooked as change, but he started to get really sloppy later on."

"Yeah, I noticed that… Seimei would never say 'you betcha'. He was never so casual with anyone, not even me."

Soubi held him for another hour, rocking him gently. The motions slowly caused him to fall asleep, for the first time in a long time, before three o'clock. Soubi laid him down and kissed him on the forehead, just as "Seimei" walked into the room.

"Soubi, I thought you left," he said, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"I'm leaving now... Ritsuka wanted to talk to me. Then he wanted me to help him get to sleep." Sure, Ritsuka hadn't asked to be put to sleep, but it would be appreciated later on. It didn't take all that long for them to realize they'd been thinking the same thing all night.

/Chapter 2: Restless

A/N: Alright, there it is. Chapter two. I know, it took me _forever _to get it done. Well, I technically had it done, I was just too lazy to type it up. Sue me. XP I had the right after I got almost no reviews. What was the point of continuing something I wasn't sure people liked? sniffle Anyways, hope you liked like chapter and, like I said before, it's going to be a little while before I update again. Unless you review and convince me this is more important than some comedy.


	3. Clueless

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own _Loveless_! Why don't you people listen to me! I hate repeating myself. ;;

First off... I'M SO SO SO SORRY! ;; I didn't mean to take so long updating. And it really wasn't my fault!

Thanks for four reviews I got(much better than that one from the first chapter ;;)! It made me feel so much better and compelled me to continue (God shoot me for sounding melodramatic TT). Though computer problems kept me from updating faster than I did. Stupid internet not working and all... However, now I have a laptop and everything shall be hunky-dory from now on! Except my writer's block. . That just sucks. Anyway, hope you actually enjoy this and keep reviewing! (If you want to.)

I'll say one thing, though: This is the longest I've gone without swearing in one of my fanfictions (or attempted fanfictions). Trust me... If the other ones (Which suck major ass) had gone on any longer, I would've had the urge to stick plenty of swears in there. Then again . . . Can't be avoided with FFVII, Cid's there. (Dirge of Cerberus is rate T just because of him. Only slightly because of Vincent. It's rated T because of tobacco use, language, and violence. XD) Right, on with the show! -ehem-... Story.

1

"Yes, sir. No, I understand completely. There's nothing to worry about, it'll get done," "Seimei" was on the phone with an unknown caller (well, _he _knew who it was).

"I trust you, Dyne, but you're taking a little long for my liking," the caller responded.

"I know sir, but Soubi won't let me out of his sight."

"Does he suspect something?"

"I don't know, but Ritsuka is definitely starting to get suspicious."

"That's your cue to hurry up. I'll find a way to deal with Soubi."

"Yes, sir. I'm right on it."

Both men hung up, despite the shortness of the conversation. However, things like that couldn't last long due to Soubi's often unplanned visits. Dyne was getting sick of this job. Posing as some queer didn't quite tickle his fancy. Yes, he was a major homophobe. Yes, this job was starting to kill him. Yes, he was going to wash himself over and over and over again until he was _sure _that he didn't smell Soubi's cigarettes on him (his smelled _much_ better). Having to hug and kiss another guy all day was really starting to get to him. He couldn't wait until they had Ritsuka so he could stop having to pose as a queer and so he could have a cigarette. Yup, he really wanted that smoke.

2

Ritsuka woke up to "Seimei" leaning over him, a goofy smile on his face. A smile that was very much unlike Seimei's. But where was Soubi? He said that he was going to be there first thing in the morning...

"C'mon, Ritsuka," Dyne said cheerily. "I wanna take you out. Just the two of us."

"Where's Soubi? I thought he was gunna stop by this morning." Ritsuka sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"He had work to do for school. He's been visiting so much that he's gotten behind."

"Oh, that's not good. I guess I should get dressed then... "

Dyne nodded and left Ritsuka's room just to wait outside the door. He didn't want Ritsuka running off on him and discovering his lie about Soubi. The truth was, _he _had told Soubi not to show up. He was going to have today alone with Ritsuka. No one was going to stop him from completing his mission. Especially not Soubi. As far as he knew, Soubi was still under the impression that he was the real Seimei and he _had _to obey every word he said. No, he didn't just have to; he _wanted_ to. Dyne was going to use that to his advantage as long as he could. Today should be the last day that he would have to.

Ritsuka had dialed Soubi's number the second Dyne was out of the room. However, instead of hearing Soubi's voice answer the phone, he got a busy signal. The moment he hung up, his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered, hoping it was Soubi.

"Hey, Ritsuka! It's Kio. You're probably wondering why Soubi wasn't coming around," Kio laughed, then continued. "Sorry, it's not funny. Anyway, I don't have the details about it either, but he asked me to keep an eye on you."

"But Seimei, I mean... whoever he is will get suspicious if Soubi sends a babysitter along with me. Especially seeing as he told Soubi he wanted alone time with me." Ritsuka was just slightly skeptical of this whole plan.

"You got the wrong idea! I meant that I'll be watching from a distance." Kio was quick to correct the misunderstanding. "Like the bushes or something. Y'know, hiding in those totally obvious coats and stuff! (Not really, that would get us caught in a second.) You get me?"

"Ritsuka, you coming or what?" Dyne called.

Ritsuka pulled the phone away from his mouth. "Yeah, just a minute!" Then he spoke to Kio, "Listen, I gotta go, so... "

"I'm right outside, don't worry." Kio then hung up and Ritsuka got dressed.

3

Soubi was pacing his apartment at that very same moment as Zero watched his every move. They had been filled in on the situation the moment they were awake enough to hear it. They both had urged Soubi to be the one sneaking around, but he just shook his head. It would turn ugly if the imposter caught him snooping around. However, that didn't mean he was at total ease with the situation either. Obviously not seeing as he was pacing around. He kept trying to keep himself calm, but thinking of Ritsuka relatively alone with someone that was probably trying to kidnap him wasn't exactly the thing to do that. What would he do if something were to happen to Ritsuka?

Natsuo and Youji just stared at the floor, sure that it would give out from underneath them if Soubi continued to pace the way that he was. Youji was actually focusing on the floor, while Natsuo was thinking about Ritsuka. What would Kio be able to do if something happened to him? He wasn't part of a Fighter-Sacrifice unit, while he was sure that their imposter was, why else would he have come into Ritsu-sensei's services? Plus, he knew too much about Fighters and Sacrifices not to be one himself. But there was that small chance he wasn't, that Ritsu-sensei had just hired him and filled him in on what he needed to know.

Just then, as if to relieve the tension that was choking them it was so thick, Soubi's cell phone rang. He immediately picked it up.

"Kio?" Soubi wasn't sure if it was him, he hadn't looked at the number first.

"You're lucky it is me. What if that sensei guy had called, hm? What would you do then?" That was Kio, constantly worrying about other people and what they did.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, so far. They just left and everything, so I wouldn't expect much to happen yet."

"What are you calling me for?"

"To let you know we're leaving."

Soubi hung up. He knew Ritsuka was all right for now, so he could relax a little. Instead of sitting down, however, he walked into the kitchen to make coffee. He needed it to stay awake. He wasn't tired, but he would be after all of the pacing he'd be doing. His legs were already sore from pacing as long as he did.

Youji stood up and stretched. He then gave Natsuo a mischievous look. He had an idea to make it so that Ritsuka wouldn't have time for Seimei after this. He and Natsuo were going to drag a couple of people back into Ritsuka's life. He grabbed Natsuo's hand and waved good-bye to Soubi.

"Where are you going?" he questioned.

"Nowhere that you need to worry about," he smiled again before walking out the front door, a confused Natsuo behind him.

Soubi just shook his head and turned back to his coffee. His phone rang again. He answered it, but once again wasn't sure whether it was Kio that had called. Could something have happened that fast?

"Hello," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Ah, Soubi, I reached you. I'm so happy. I was afraid you wouldn't answer."

It wasn't Kio. It definitely wasn't Kio... It was Ritsu-sensei.

4

"Youji! Where are we going? I deserve to know... You're dragging me along with you." Natsuo frowned and attempted to cross his arms to stop their procession, but failed. It was a hard thing to do when someone was holding onto your other arm.

Youji just tugged him onward, smiling the whole time. "You remember Yuiko and Yayoi? If we have them get back with Ritsuka, then he won't have any time for Seimei! Problem solved!"

"Youji, we have to keep Ritsuka from harm _today_, not next week." Natsuo's frown stayed and he tugged his arm out of Youji's grasp. "Yuiko and Yayoi won't be of any help to Ritsuka today!"

"It's better to have your ammo stocked up, right? That way you have it there to use in case you have need for it at a later time." Youji grabbed Natsuo and pulled him into a hug. "Trust me on this, okay?"

Natsuo rolled his eyes, but returned the embrace. "All right, but I'm still worried about today, rather than tomorrow."

Youji nodded and led the way to Yuiko's house first. She was closest and he wasn't quite sure on the whereabouts of Yayoi anyway. She would know. They were probably dating by now seeing as they were together all the way through school. It was also likely that Yayoi had gotten taller in the past few years. He and Natsuo had certainly grown. Both of them were well on their way to six feet. However, Youji was probably going to hit it where as Natsuo would stay at 5'10"/5'11".

As they approached a thought occurred to both of them at the same time and they voiced it in unison. "She doesn't know who we are... "

They sighed, but decided to shake that fact off. So long as they mentioned Ritsuka's name she would be fine. They hoped. Yuiko _used _to be trusting so long as you said you knew Ritsuka, but would that matter now? They'd been separated for quite a while. Two, three years if Youji was counting right. Maybe she'd forgotten all about him? Maybe not. She had liked him, after all. Hopefully she'd remember him and they would be allowed to make up the excuse that Ritsuka wanted to hang out again, but his family kept him from doing just that.

"Go on, Youji," Natsuo said. "This _was _your idea."

"But Natsuo, I've already done most of the work. Can't you just knock?" Youji pouted.

"We'll knock at the same time then, and hope her parents don't answer."

"Right."

They lifted their hands and gently knocked on the door, though the noise seemed to echo. This was turning out to be one tense day that they weren't enjoying. _Ritsuka is probably in a much worse situation_, Natsuo kept thinking to himself. It was the only thing that was keeping him from going mad. This was the most confusing thing that had happened since the female Zero had taken out Youji without even really starting the fight.

All of a sudden, the door opened and there stood Yuiko. She still looked pretty much the same, she was just shorter than them now. And her boobs, as Youji happily decided to check, seemed to have grown a little since he looked at them last through the binoculars. She seemed confused as to why there should be two strange boys at her front door. They heard Yayoi's voice call from inside. Good, they could kill two birds with one stone and not have to walk so far.

"Um... You aren't salespeople, are you?" Youji wanted to fall over. Her innocence was still there.

Thankfully, Natsuo kept his calm and smiled, "No, we aren't. We're friends of Aoyagi Ritsuka."

Yuiko's eyes lit up, "Ritsuka-kun! You know Ritsuka-kun? How is he?"

"Well, he's alright, I suppose... A little depressed at times if nothing else." They had to drag her in and feel pity for Ritsuka, though they could probably get Yuiko to rush to his side right this second.

"Oh... What about his friends?"

"Yuiko! Who's at the door?" Yayoi walked up and stared at the two boys with a disapproving look.

"They're friends of Ritsuka-kun!" Yuiko clapped her hands and bounced up and down.

"Ritsuka-kun? Aoyagi?" Yayoi blinked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yup! That's us!" Natsuo's smile widened. "Actually, we came here in his place to tell you that he wanted to meet up with you sometime. At the park."

Yuiko looked to Yayoi and they held a silent conversation. Finally, Yayoi spoke up, "Tomorrow after school good?"

"Give us a moment, we'll ask." Natsuo pulled Youji down the stairs and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket to dial Ritsuka's number.

5

Ritsuka was having a little trouble getting comfortable standing there in the park next to the exact person he had planned on avoiding for the next few days until he and Soubi could come up with some brilliant plan. Dyne went on and on about the things that he wanted to do. That part bugged him... Soubi had paced himself and had a slower and smoother way of speaking, but this guy just spoke quickly and it was hard to keep up with him sometimes. Ritsuka was smart, sure, but he took a little time to catch on. You had to keep a simple pace.

They were in the park now, at the same picnic table where Soubi had first kissed him. Thinking about it made him blush, so he had to hide his face for a few moments until he calmed himself down. He had a lot of memories in this part. And a lot of them weren't pictures either. He used to think that was the only way he was going to remember everything. However, that wasn't true. He found himself holding onto his memories, unlike before. He cherished them. He didn't want to forget everything again. Especially not now. Who would be able to get him back up to speed? How long would it take? There couldn't be very many Fighter-Sacrifice groups that were going to show up and help convince him that he was Soubi's sacrifice. Then again, he wasn't even that. He was Loveless. He didn't have a fighter that he could call his own. All he had was the fleeting idea that Soubi was his. However, that was out the window as well, seeing as Seimei had to be back. Ritsuka just felt it in his gut. There was no other reason as to why someone would pretend to be someone who was dead. Besides, Soubi had confirmed the story that the imposter had told.

Dyne was worrying too. His partner hadn't shown up yet. He was supposed to be here already so they could nab Ritsuka and get the heck out of the place. Yes, he was part of a Fighter-Sacrifice unit. He was the Sacrifice. His Fighter, Alli, was supposed to have shown up ten minutes before him. He had checked his watch once they got there, but they were right on time, not a second early or late. Which meant she was and she would have to pay the consequences if Ritsuka got away today.

"Sorry I'm late!" He turned to see Alli running up, her red hair held up in a high ponytail. "I'm so sorry! The traffic was horrible on the way here."

Ritsuka looked at her, and then at Dyne, confusion written all over his face. All of a sudden, his phone rang and all eyes were on him. "Hold on," he mumbled and then turned around. "Hello?"

"Ritsuka! We're so glad you answered! Listen, find an excuse to get home or something. Natsuo and I -" Ritsuka cut Youji off.

"Hold on, slow down. What?"

"We got in touch with Yuiko and Yayoi! They're your problem solver. You'll be hanging out with them tomorrow after school, got it? At the park seeing as you all know where that is."

_Why is it always this park? Why can't it be somewhere else?_ "Alright, but..."

"Just think of something quick to get you home and out of harm! We'll be there waiting. Where are you just in case you don't come home?"

"The park."

"Oh... Well, we'll be seeing you!"

Ritsuka hung up after he heard the click on the other end. Man, why did he have a feeling that everyone's cell phones would have no minutes by tomorrow?

"Ritsuka, is something wrong?" Dyne was trying to keep himself from sweating. Ritsuka seemed to be pondering something and he was worried that he was going to try and escape.

"Yeah... Natsuo and Youji need me right away. They said it was an emergency. I'm sorry, but I have to get home now." He stood up from the picnic table, only to have Alli latch onto his arm.

"Sorry! Can't have you going anywhere right now. I'm afraid... You're cornered."

6

Soubi was having trouble believing that he'd stayed on the phone with Ritsu-sensei for over an hour already, and he was still on it. Mostly because every time he went to hang up, Ritsu said something about his 'precious Ritsuka'. That's how he worded it. "You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your precious Ritsuka," "Don't force me to hurt your precious Ritsuka," and his personal favorite, "What would you do for your precious Ritsuka?" That one had him stuck on the phone even now. Ritsu was going about how much he missed him, so now the question seemed out of place. He'd say "anything" just to get Ritsu-sensei off the phone, but that wasn't true. There were a few things that were probably not in Ritsuka's best interest that he wouldn't dare do. He knew how Ritsu-sensei was and that he was trying to get him to say "anything."

"Soubi, you still haven't answered my question," Ritsu was smirking on the other end, Soubi could tell. "Oops, hold on. I've got another call."

The second Ritsu-sensei clicked over, he hung up. Soubi knew that he would be calling back, he'd already done so plenty of times now. Just as he did, though, his own phone rang. It couldn't have something to do with Ritsuka... Could it?

This time he checked the number and noticed that it was Kio calling. "What's going on?" he said.

"Uh, well... I'd head for the park ASAP. They're heading towards your apartment so you should be able to cut them off." Kio sounded out of breath, as if he had been running for his life.

"Them?"

"Yeah... There's two people now. That Seimei look-a-like and some chick."

"Kio! That's bad. Can you still get to Ritsuka?"

"Well, I guess I could try. I mean, I got back-up too... and he ain't goin' quietly."

"Then just do it. I'll be there as soon as possible. Meet me at the south exit."

He hung up and so did Kio. He needed to call Zero and get them over there. They were probably closer seeing as they _had _left a while ago. He didn't know if they'd gone to help Kio at first, but now he knew they hadn't. Unless they were the back-up he was talking about? No, he would've heard them going after Ritsuka. Then who was he talking about? That wasn't important at the moment. He had to get out and to Ritsuka, that was what was important.

7

The person Kio was talking about was none other than Shinonome Hitomi, Ritsuka's old teacher. Why did it seem like they were just having one giant reunion with a few new people mixed in? Well, that's because that's just how it was. Even if Yuiko and Yayoi wouldn't actually see the others until tomorrow, they were still joining their fun-filled adventure.

Shinonome hadn't really tried to bump into Kio, but once she saw he was following Ritsuka (whom she had been glad to see, and almost called out to until she saw Kio) she followed him. Soon after Kio had realized that _he _was being tracked and turned around to see the same woman that had been with Ritsuka, Yuiko, and Yayoi that day Soubi had stalked them. Why were they a group of stalkers? There was something seriously wrong with them all. However... That aside, Shinonome quickly explained why she was following him and he gave her an explanation in return. Though, she found his to be a little, bizarre. She didn't understand the whole "brother, but not brother" thing. Once they started chasing after Ritsuka (who seemed to be struggling against a pair of adults), she didn't even think twice about what she didn't understand, she just thought about saving Ritsuka. How could someone kidnap Ritsuka! Then again, he had been adorable the last time she saw him, so the reason was obvious as soon as the thought went through her mind.

"Please, Shinonome-san, it isn't a good idea for you to follow me! This is dangerous!" Kio had been trying to lose her for a while now. She probably already thought he was a pedophile (however, that's Soubi, not him).

"But Ritsuka-kun is in trouble! You'll need as much help as you can get, right?" she said, looking at him with panic in her eyes. "Besides, there's two of them and I don't think Ritsuka would be of much help."

"I've got help on the way, ma'am." He groaned. His chest was starting to hurt and soon the two Ritsuka-nappers would be within range of a taxi. However, to his great and utter surprise, Natsuo and Youji were standing right in their path.

"Let Ritsuka-kun go," Youji frowned as Natsuo crossed his arms.

The two adults looked at each other and laughed. Dyne spoke, "And we're going to listen to you because...? Just because you're Zero doesn't mean you can't be beaten. Soubi did it all on his own, didn't he?"

Ritsuka wasn't in the greatest mood to stand around and listen to them talk. His wrist was turning red and he was sure that it was sprained from trying to get away. Where was Soubi? Surely someone had called him already, right? What was Kio doing? He found that out in the next second. Instead of being in the hands of his fake brother, he found Kio's hands on his shoulders and Shinonome-sensei right beside him. Now he was really confused. Weren't Natsuo and Youji supposed to be heading to his house? And how did Kio show up so fast? And why was Shinonome-sensei with him? And most importantly... Where was Soubi?

"Good going, Dyne," Alli muttered. "You lost the kid. _Now _what are we going to do?"

"Come up with a better plan and try again," Dyne muttered back. "After all, you don't _really _think I'd be stupid enough to have Zero wear you down just for Soubi to come along and kick your ass (A/N: I sinned! ;;), do you?"

"You really are just so loving."

There was no battle, no nothing. After all of the struggle and the climactic events, nothing happened. Except for the bad guy running away and the hero of the story getting there five minutes late. Which to Ritsuka, was totally backwards. Evildoers were the late ones and the hero ran away as soon as he had the damsel in distress (no, he wouldn't actually call himself a damsel if he was actually in need of saving by the hero, Soubi).

It certainly wasn't over yet, though. Soubi got a phone call (the thought oftheir minutes running out crossed through Ritsuka's mind again) from Ritsu-sensei. He announced being disappointed in his pupils, but said that it wouldn't be all. He wasn't of much use other than that. Soubi had to hang up the phone due to Ritsu's extreme wanting to talk to him. Right now, he had to look after Ritsuka.

"Are you okay?" Soubi pulled Ritsuka into a warm embrace, something he hadn't done in what seemed like forever.

"Yeah... My wrist just hurts a bit," Ritsuka mumbled into Soubi's chest.

Soubi nodded, "Let's get some ice on that." He lifted Ritsuka's wrist and kissed it softly. Seimei was still gone, possibly even truly dead now. He was Ritsuka's and Ritsuka's alone. Maybe he still would be once Seimei actually returned.

/Chapter 3: Clueless

A/N: Okay, so as I say I haven't had the urge to swear... There I go and have Dyne swear. I guess he's kinda a spinoff of Cid, but with Dyne's name. Yes, I pulled that from FFVII. I'm obsessed, shut up and leave me alone. Anyways, I'm gunna thank my reviewers now seeing as I haven't actually done that! There's five of them. ZOMG, so much more than chapter 1(okay, so four out of the five are from chapter 2).

**Thanks to: **Kayla, i-love-anime-2006, Ryo Yuriko, Kurama-sama, Ladiabla666. You all helped in keeping this going. Even if it did take a couple of months. Not my fault. . 

Anyways... I'm stuck now as to what should happen next. Ideas? Unless you just want it to drop for another two months. (It might drop permanently if that happens... School coming up and all...)


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